Wounds or sores on any surface of the body are generally treated by applying an appropriate medicant to the injured area and then generally it is the practice to cover the wounded area with sterile surgical gauze or "sponge" and then utilize bandaging to hold the surgical gauze in position over the wound, thus forming a bandage. Such a bandage forms a covering which protects the wound area from additional injury or contamination which might worsen the condition. However, such bandages do not readily reveal the condition of the treated wound or sore. With this type of bandaging, the condition of the treated wound can be determined only by removing the bandage. Often the surgical gauze has adhered to the wounded area and the removal of the gauze for examination and treatment is frequently very painful. Additionally, the contact of the surgical gauze with the wounded area frequently absorbs the medicant thus preventing maximum utilization of the medicant on the wound. If the surgical gauze does adhere to a wounded area, its removal aggravates the condition of the wound and thus retards the healing.
Prior disclosures which have addressed this problem are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,443,140; 2,367,690; 2,221,758; 697,637; 720,812; German Offenlegungsschrift No. 1,914,096; and German Pat. No. 120,402; and British Pat. No. 288,220.
The wound protectors in the foregoing disclosures generally provide for protection of the wounded area and visibility of the wound itself. Generally speaking, the wound protectors in the foregoing disclosures have rigid portions to protect the wound area. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,221,758 and 720,812 employ resiliant felt-like pads, but have the transparent covers firmly secured to the upper surface of the pad.